Mala Grohs Announces Cancer Diagnosis | OneFootball

On Saturday Evening, goalkeeper Maria Luisa Grohs announced in a heartbreaking video that she had been diagnosed with a malignant tumor. This announcement shocked the entire landscape of women’s football, and support for Mala flooded in from all around the world.

This article written by Matthew Coates

In the video, Mala said “The disease is a challenge I didn’t expect to have to tackle. But with the help of everyone here, I’m sure I’ll overcome it and fully recover. I’m in the very best of hands with the doctors here in Munich and can absolutely count on the support from my team and the club.”

Alongside this Bayern also announced that her contract, which was due to expire at the end of the season, had been extended for a further year. A classy gesture from the club, which means that she can fully focus on her treatment and subsequent recovery.

FC Bayern President, Herbert Hainer said “Sport fades into the background at such moments. Our club and the entire FC Bayern family support Mala Grohs. Mala is a great, strong person, she’ll get all the help we can give her, all the help she needs to recover. We’ll accompany her during the healing process. She can count on FC Bayern.”

FC Bayern CEO, Jan-Christian Dreesen said “Mala Grohs’ disease has shocked us all. We’re proud she’s part of our FC Bayern family, and the entire club will be close by her side to support her during the healing process. The top priority is that she recovers, which is much more important than any victory out on the pitch.”

FC Bayern Board Member for Sport, Max Eberl, said “It’s hard to find words at such a moment. Health and life are far more important than sport. Mala Grohs will tackle her most important challenge, and we’ll be by her side. We sincerely wish her all the best and the strength she needs. She’s a formative FC Bayern player, she’s held in high esteem by all her teammates, she’s a role model for the fans and a personality at our club. With the contract extension, we want to do our bit so that she can focus on her recovery, and we want to show her that FC Bayern will forever be her home.”

FC Bayern Frauen’s sporting director, Bianca Rech, said “The team, the coaches, the staff and the entire FC Bayern family are close by Mala’s side. She’ll get all the support she needs from us, which we wanted to show with the contract extension. We sincerely wish Mala a lot of strength and the best possible healing process. She’ll be very close to us, and she’ll always be part of our team. Everything’s geared towards her getting well and eventually returning to the pitch.”

The 23 year-old joined Bayern in 2019 from VFL Bochum, initially planned for the reserve team. In 2022, she became first-choice and has since played 81 matches, winning three league titles and the 2024 Supercup.

She played a pivotal role in Bayern’s unbeaten 23/24 league campaign, where Bayern conceded just 8 goals in 22 matches, managing to keep 16 clean sheets.

As a result of her strong and consistent performances, she received her maiden call up for the German National Team. This was particularly special for her, as was often reported that it was a dream of hers to represent Germany at senior level. Unfortunately, Mala was unable to travel with the squad due to a bout of tonsilitis.

Whilst Bayern had signed a new talented goalkeeper in the summer in the form of Ena Mahmutovic, Grohs had played every game that she was available for this season and looked set to continue doing so. She had most recently featured in the comfortable 3-0 home win against Norwegian champions Vålerenga in the UWCL on Tuesday, putting in a typically solid performance and keeping the clean sheet.

It was extremely heartwarming to see her at the FC Bayern Campus for the most recent home game against Carl Zeiss Jena, where she was on the sidelines.

Pre-match, the team showed their togetherness and their support for Mala by revealing a specially-made kit detailing words of encouragement and support. Bayern fans also revealed a banner providing words of support to Mala.

It was a lovely afternoon for Bayern in general, where they managed to score five goals past a stubborn defence. After the game, many players dedicated the win to Mala on social media.

We here at Miasanrot wish Mala the very best in her treatment and a speedy recovery, and hope that someday in the future she can pull on the FC Bayern jersey again, and get back to doing what she enjoys most.